Team size: Six

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Nowadays there are several examples of innovations that can improve the work of legal teams, but the successful implementation of any innovation depends on the specific context and needs of each legal team. The most common and currently used are online collaboration for document construction and review, the use of cloud storage services and blockchain services to ensure the authenticity and originality of documents. Looking to the near future, legal teams should look to implement some alternative innovations such as case management technology, which allows teams to organise and share information more efficiently. Another innovation that could be implemented is the automation of repetitive tasks, using robotic processes that can reduce administrative workload, for example by creating certain standard documents or gathering information from online databases; or even the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for legal research by leveraging different platforms already available allowing teams to perform quicker and more accurate searches in a vast legal archive.

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel work over the next five years?

In my view, there are some key developments and trends that may shape the way general counsel work. As global regulations continue to evolve and government enforcement becomes more stringent, general counsel will face increased regulatory scrutiny, resulting in proactive risk prevention, the need to keep abreast of legislative changes, for example in privacy and data protection, sustainability regulation, and AI, among others. In addition to the above, general counsel will need to focus on digital transformation and its consequent impact on legal operations. Finally, general counsel will need to consider the growing importance of ESG issues in legal and business strategy, taking into account ESG related risks, and complying with environmental and social standards. These trends show the potential evolution of general counsel’s role in the coming years.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

In my role, I am also responsible for corporate affairs and ESG, a responsibility that I personally believe should be a trend in the legal market. This role allows me to seamlessly integrate not only legal advice, but also environmental, social and governance engagement as part of the company’s contributions. The legal field is an open umbrella that allows us to participate in many areas and operations of corporations, and having a wider scope allows us to contribute to the sustainable future not only from an environmental point of view, but also with our financial and social responsibility. Policies such as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; donation policies, executing environmental sustainability programmes, and participating in the definition of packaging conditions are just some examples of the legal team’s participation with an ESG approach that allows to have an impact on the organisation’s operation and sustainability.

What challenges have you encountered in implementing effective risk management practices, and how have you overcome them?

The compartmentalised approach, lack of awareness and understanding, inadequate risk assessment, insufficient resources, lack of risk culture and resistance to change are some of the main challenges we face daily in the implementation of risk management. In my view, training and education, budget expansion, staffing and technological resources, a collaborative approach to risk management within all departments, will certainly strengthen risk culture and create a more resilient and proactive approach to risk mitigation.